Women's and men's costume 1900 1914. Women's fashion at the beginning of the 20th century. Children's fashion. Originals. Photo. e: Revolt in fashion and art and sexual revolution
Clothes of citizens (1917-1922)
The First World War, the revolutionary upheaval and the Civil War changed the appearance of the citizens of Russia. The iconic symbolism of the costume began to appear more distinctly. It was a time when solidarity or opposition was expressed with the help of a costume or its individual details; it was used as a screen behind which it was possible to temporarily hide one's true attitude to the events taking place. “In Moscow, oats were given out on cards. Never before has the capital of the republic experienced such a difficult time as in the winter of the twentieth year. It was “an era of endless hungry lines, “tails” in front of empty “food distributors”, an epic era of rotten frozen carrion, moldy bread crusts and inedible surrogates.
“No firewood is sold. There is nothing to drown the Dutch. In the rooms there are iron stoves - potbelly stoves. From them under the ceiling are samovar pipes. One into the other, one into the other, and right into the holes in the boards with which the windows are closed, jars are hung at the joints of the pipes so that the resin does not drip. . And yet, many still continued to follow fashion, although this was limited only to the silhouette of the suit or some details, for example, the design of the collar, the shape of the hat, and the height of the heel. The silhouette of women's clothing was on the way to simplification. It can be assumed that this trend was influenced not only by Parisian fashions (the clothing house Gabriel Chanel, opened in 1916, promoted “rob de chemise” - simple forms of dress, not complicated by cut), but also by economic reasons. "Magazine for hostesses" in 1916. wrote: "... there are almost no fabrics in warehouses or in stores, there are no trimmings, there are not even threads to sew a dress or coat." “... for a spool of thread (such a spool ... small) in the Samara province they give two poods of flour .. two poods for such a small spool ...” we learn from K. I. Chukovsky’s Diaries.
During this period, the price of cloth rose from 3 rubles. 64 kopecks (average price in 1893) up to 80,890 rubles. in 1918 . Further, the inflationary spiral unwound more and more. Priceless is the information from the Muscovite's Diary, in which the author N.P. Okunev daily recorded all everyday events, significant and trifling. “I ordered a pair of jackets for myself, the price is 300 rubles, I thought I was crazy, but they tell me that others pay 4,008,500 rubles for suits. The bacchanalia of life is complete!” Such an economic situation did not contribute to the development of a fashionable suit, but gave rise to very interesting forms of clothing. If M. Chudakova in the “Biography of M. Bulgakov” about 1919 we read: “on March, a colleague of our hero, a Kiev doctor, wrote in his diary: “... no practice, no money either. And life here is becoming more expensive every day. Black bread already costs 4 rubles. 50 k. per pound, white - 6.50 and so on. And most importantly - in a hunger strike. Black bread - 12815 rubles. per pound. And there is no end in sight.” That was already in 1921. In a letter to his mother, Mikhail Bulgakov writes: “In Moscow, they only count by hundreds of thousands and millions. Black bread 4600 rub. per pound, white 14,000. And the price goes up and up! Stores are full of goods, but what can you buy! The theaters are full, but yesterday, when I was passing by the Bolshoi on business (I no longer think how it is possible to go without business!), the dealers were selling tickets for 75, 100, 150 thousand rubles! Moscow has everything: shoes, fabrics, meat, caviar, canned food, delicacies - everything! Cafes open and grow like mushrooms. And hundreds, hundreds everywhere! Hundreds!! The speculative wave is buzzing.
But back to 1918. At that time, fashion magazines were not published in Russia. In the same year, the “Magazine for Housewives” was closed (it was resumed only in 1922). Therefore, when considering fashionable influences, one can rely only on foreign sources or domestic ones that came out before 1918. A certain role in shaping the appearance of the townspeople was played by public distributors, where things flocked from abandoned shops, houses of the bourgeoisie, etc. In Valentin Kataev’s “Memoirs”, dating back to 1919, we read: , canvas pants, wooden sandals on bare feet, a pipe smoking shag in my teeth, and on my shaved head a red Turkish fez with a black brush, which I received by order instead of a hat in the city clothing warehouse. This is also confirmed by the notes of N. Ya. Mandelstam: “In those years, clothes were not sold - they could only be obtained by order.”
The memoirs of I. Odoevtseva are colored with irony. “He (O. Mandelstam, editor's note) has never seen women in a men's suit. In those days, this was completely unthinkable. Only many years later, Marlene Dietrich introduced the fashion for men's suits. But it turns out that the first woman in pants was not she, but Mandelstam's wife. Not Marlene Dietrich, but Nadezhda Mandelstam revolutionized women's wardrobe. But, unlike Marlene Dietrich, this did not bring her fame. Her bold innovation was not appreciated either by Moscow or even by her own husband.
This is how M. Tsvetaeva described her “outfit” at a poetry evening at the Polytechnic Museum in 1921: “It would be hypocrisy not to mention yourself, having gone through almost everyone. So, that day I was revealed to “Rome and the World” in a green, like a cassock, you can’t call a dress (a paraphrase of the best times of a coat), honestly (that is, tightly) tied not even by an officer, but by a cadet, 18th Peterhof ensign school, belt . An officer’s bag is also over his shoulder (brown, leather, for field glasses or cigarettes), which I would consider treason to take off and take off only on the third day after arrival (1922) in Berlin ... Legs in gray felt boots, although not for men, on the leg, surrounded by lacquered boats, they looked like pillars of an elephant. The whole toilet, by virtue of its monstrosity, removed from me any suspicion of deliberateness. Surprisingly frank notes of contemporaries. “And now I jump up in the complete darkness of a winter night, throw on an old fur coat and a scarf (after all, it’s not to stand in line in a hat, let the servants count for their brother, otherwise they will mock the lady)” . In connection with the change in the position of women that has occurred since the beginning of the war, a number of forms of men's clothing are transferred to women's. In 191681917. these are men's vests, in 1918-1920 leather jackets, which passed into everyday life from decommissioned military uniforms. (In 1916, scooters in the Russian army wore leather jackets). Due to the lack of information, the severing of traditional ties with Europe, the difficult economic situation and at the same time the preservation of old forms of clothing, the costume of many women was a rather eclectic picture. (This is evidenced by drawings, and photographs, and sculpture of those years). For example, a female police officer was dressed like this: a leather jacket, a blue uniform beret, a brown plush skirt, and lace-up boots with a cloth top. Non-serving ladies looked no less exotic. In the “Diaries” of K. I. Chukovsky we read: “Yesterday I was in the House of Writers: everyone’s clothes are wrinkled, sagging, it’s clear that people are sleeping without undressing, covering themselves with coats. Women are chewy. As if someone chewed them and spat them out. This feeling of bruising, tatteredness arises even now when looking at photographs of that time. Old forms of clothing are everywhere preserved. Moreover, in the working environment they continue to sew dresses in the fashion of the beginning of the century, and in provincial towns on the national outskirts, the traditions of the national costume also influence clothes. In 1917 the silhouette of the women's dress still retains the outlines inherent in the previous period, but the waist becomes much looser, the skirt is straighter and slightly longer (up to 12 cm above the ankle). The silhouette resembles an elongated oval. From top to bottom, the skirt narrows to 1.5-1.7 m. After 1917 two silhouettes coexist in parallel: an extended bottom and a “tube”, the so-called “rob de chemise” shirt dress. Shirt dresses have appeared in Russia before (S. Diaghilev's memoirs of N. Goncharova date back to 1914): “But the most curious thing is that they imitate her not only as an artist, but also externally. It was she who brought into fashion a shirt-dress, black and white, blue and red. But it's still nothing. She drew flowers on her face. And soon the nobility and the bohemia rode out on a sleigh with horses, houses, elephants on their cheeks, on their necks, on their foreheads.
Dress silhouette 1920-1921 a straight bodice, the waist is lowered to the level of the hips, the skirt, easily draped in folds, 8-12 cm long above the ankle, is already largely close to the fashion of subsequent years. But often one could see a lady in a dress made of curtain fabric. And although this question seems controversial to contemporaries, enough examples can be found in the literature. So A. N. Tolstoy: “Then the war ended. Olga Vyacheslavovna bought a skirt from a green plush curtain at the market and went to serve in various institutions. Or Nina Berberova: “I was left without a job; I had felt boots from a carpet, a dress from a tablecloth, a fur coat from my mother's rotunda, a hat from a sofa cushion embroidered with gold. It is difficult to say whether this was artistic exaggeration or reality. Fabrics produced in the country in the period 1920-1923. "differed in simplicity and were printed according to the least labor-intensive old samples." But there were apparently few of them, so that dresses made from curtains became a ubiquitous phenomenon. Tatyana Nikolaevna Lappa recalls this in the “Biography of M. Bulgakov”: “I went in my only black crepe de chine dress with panne velvet: I changed it from the previous summer coat and skirt.” Chests were opened, and grandmother's outfits were brought to light: dresses with puffed sleeves, with trains. Let us recall from M. Tsvetaeva: “I dive under my feet into the blackness of a huge wardrobe and immediately find myself in seventy years and seven years ago; not at seventy-seven, but at 70 and 7. With dreamlike infallible knowledge, I feel for something long ago and obviously from gravity that has fallen, swollen, settled, spilled a whole tin puddle of silk, and I fill myself with it up to my shoulders. And further: “And a new dive to the black bottom, and again a hand in a puddle, but not tin, but mercury with water running away, playing from under the hands, not collected in a handful, scattering, scattering from under the rowing fingers, for if the first it sank from the weight, the second from the lightness flew off: from the hanger as from a branch. And behind the first, settled, brown, faev, great-grandmother Countess Ledokhovskaya great-grandmother Countess Ledokhovskaya unsewn, her daughter my grandmother Maria Lukinichnaya Bernatskaya unsewn, her daughter my mother Maria Alexandrovna Mein unsewn, sewn by the great-granddaughter of the first Marina in our Polish family by me, mine, seven years back, girlhood, but according to the cut of the great-grandmother: the bodice is like a cape, and the skirt is like the sea ... ". Contemporaries recall that “the old dresses of mothers and grandmothers were altered, jewelry and lace “bourgeois belching” were removed from them. Struggling with any manifestation of “bourgeoisness”, the blue blouses sang: “Our charter is strict: no rings, no earrings. Our ethics down with cosmetics ”... For jewelry, they were branded with shame and Komsomol tickets were taken away. This did not apply to the fashions of the revived bourgeois ladies during the NEP, since these were hostile elements. In magazines 1917-1918. there are recommendations on how to make a new one from an old dress, how to sew a hat, even how to make shoes. In the 1918-1920s, a lot of home-made shoes with wooden, cardboard, rope soles appeared in everyday life. V.G.Korolenko wrote in a letter to A.V.Lunacharsky: “... look at what your Red Army soldiers and the intelligentsia serving with you are wearing: you can often meet a Red Army soldier in bast shoes, and an intelligentsia serving in somehow made wooden sandals. It is reminiscent of classical antiquity, but it is very inconvenient now for winter.” Fashion at this time offers double heels (about 9 cm high). By the beginning of the 20s, the heel not only rises, but also narrows down. Contemporaries testify: “In 1922-1923. military rough boots with windings disappear. The army puts on boots. The silhouette of military clothing is also being transformed. After 1917 the coat lengthens again, the waist gradually falls 5-7 cm below the natural one. Fashion 1917 as if referring to a folk costume. The magazine “Ladies' World” (No. 2; 1917) writes that “imitation in the cut of warm ladies' coats of caftans and fur coats of various provinces is in fashion. The cut of Yekaterinoslav's "women's" outfits - wide fur coats at the bottom, with detachable waistlines and huge turn-down collars falling on the shoulders, seems very fashionable, jumping off a Parisian magazine. In fact, the simplification of the form led to the traditionally simple forms of the folk costume.
The colors of the clothes were dominated by natural brown tones. In 1918 "fashionable color - dark earthy, both one-color and melange"
, "camel" color in combination with black. Huge wide-brimmed hats of the pre-war period are a thing of the past, however, many styles of hats remain in use for a long time. A girl in a hat, for example, can be seen in the photo of the parade of the Vseobuch troops in 1918. on Red Square and among the Komsomol women who organize an educational program in the Rostov region. Hats were also worn by the “first ladies” of the state - N. K. Krupskaya, M. I. Ulyanova, A. M. Kollontai. True, we are talking about small hats with rather narrow fields, small in size, decorated, as a rule, only with a bow, but their widespread and widest distribution, both in the provinces and in the capital, is beyond doubt.
In 1918 boas, gorgets go out of fashion; to replace them, magazines offer scarves with fur, lace, and tassels trimmed along the edge. These scarves were worn both around the neck and on the hat. In everyday life, knitted scarves were most often used.
In men's clothing, the most active period in politics and social reconstruction did not give any new forms, but only served as an impetus for the destruction of the traditions of wearing it. In the men's suit, the forms of previous years are preserved, with only a slight change in details. In 1918-1920. only turn-down collars of shirts and blouses remain in use; standing collars do not receive further distribution. Tie knot after 1920 stretches, becomes narrow and approaches the rectangle as much as possible, and the tie itself is narrower and longer. Their coloring is faded, dim. The norm is a turned men's suit. In “Memoirs” by A. Mariengof we read: “Shershenevich in a chic light gray jacket with a large check. But the treacherous left pocket... on the right side, because the jacket is upside down. Almost all the dandies of that era had their upper pockets on the right side. Men's clothing is being militarized to the maximum, and at the same time, it is losing the traditionally established rules for the color matching of boots to trousers, and both to a jacket. A jacket in combination with any trousers is becoming the most popular clothing for men. "He was wearing a paramilitary suit - an English jacket, plaid, with leather on the back, riding breeches and black boots." “After Brest, many demobilized people appeared at the stations. Soldier's overcoats "came into fashion" - they hung in almost every hallway, exhaling the smell of shag, station burning and rotten earth. In the evenings, going out into the street, they put on overcoats - it was safer in them. In everyday life, knitwear is widely distributed, apparently due to the relative ease of manufacture. From Kataev: “Vanechka was dressed in a black tunic, mustard breeches, and huge, above the knee, clumsy cowhide boots that made him look like a cat in boots. Over the tunic, around the neck, a thick collar of a market paper sweater was released. Leather jackets were not only very popular, but were also a mandatory distinction for commanders, commissars and political workers of the Red Army, as well as employees of the technical troops. True, contemporaries refute their mass distribution. They continued to wear the uniforms of various departments. And if in 1914-1917. the uniforms of officials were not observed so strictly, then from 1918. and completely ceases to correspond to the position held and remains in use as familiar clothes. After the abolition of the old ranks and titles in January 1918. military uniforms of the tsarist army began to be worn with buttons made of bone or lined with fabric (instead of buttons with a coat of arms). “Officially, it was announced the abolition of all distinctions, including shoulder straps. We were forced to remove them, and instead of buttons with eagles, sew on civilian bone buttons or sheathe old metal ones with cloth. Contemporaries recall that "... in the 1920s, a campaign against student caps began, and their owners were persecuted for their bourgeois way of thinking."
Eclecticism was also inherent in the men's suit. Here is what I. Bunin wrote about the clothes of the Red Army soldiers: “They are dressed in some kind of team rags. Sometimes the uniform of the 70s, sometimes, for no apparent reason, red leggings and at the same time an infantry overcoat and a huge old-fashioned saber. But representatives of another class were no less extravagantly dressed. In the book “Biography of M. Bulgakov” we read: “On one of the days of this winter, in the house number 13 on Andreevsky Spusk, an episode occurred that was preserved in the memory of Tatyana Nikolaevna. One time the blueskins came. They are shod in ladies' boots, and spurs are on the boots. And everyone is perfumed with "Coeur de Jeannet" - fashionable perfumes.
The appearance of the crowd and individuals was lumpenized. Let's go back to the literature. Bunin: “In general, you often see students: in a hurry somewhere, all torn to pieces, in a dirty nightgown under an old open overcoat, a faded cap on a shaggy head, knocked-down shoes on his feet, a rifle hanging down on a rope on his shoulder ...
However, the devil knows whether he is really a student. And here is what the crowd looked like in M. Bulgakov's description: “Among them were teenagers in khaki shirts, there were girls without hats, some in a white sailor's blouse, some in a colorful jacket. There were sandals on bare feet, in black worn-out shoes, young men in blunt-toed boots. Vl. Khodasevich recalled that before the war, individual literary associations could afford something like a uniform. “In order to get into this sanctuary, I had to sew black trousers and to them - an ambiguous jacket: not a gymnasium one, because it was black, but not a student one, because it had silver buttons. I must have looked like a telegraph operator in this outfit, but everything was redeemed by the opportunity to finally get on Tuesday: on Tuesdays literary interviews took place in the circle. Literary figures, actors acquire a peculiar, even exotic look. But this was not so much the outrageousness of the futurists' clothes (the notorious yellow jacket of Mayakovsky), but simply the absence of clothes as such and random sources of obtaining them. M. Chagall recalled: “I wore wide trousers and a yellow duster (a gift from the Americans, who sent us used clothes out of mercy) ...”. M. Bulgakov, according to the memoirs of Tatyana Nikolaevna, at that time wore a fur coat “... in the form of a rotunda, which the old people of the clergy wore. On raccoon fur, and the collar turned inside out with fur. The top was blue ribbed. It was long and without fasteners - it really wrapped around and that's it. It must have been my father's coat. Maybe his mother sent him from Kyiv with someone, or maybe he brought it himself in 1923 ... ". The poet Nikolai Ushakov wrote in 1929. in his memoirs: “In 1918-1919, Kyiv became a literary center; Ehrenburg walked in those days in a coat that dragged along the sidewalks, and in a gigantic wide-brimmed hat ... ".
Based on all these materials - memoirs, photographs - we can conclude that the men's clothing of this period was extremely eclectic in nature and, in the absence of stylistic unity, was based on the personal tastes and capabilities of its owner. From 1922-1923. domestic fashion magazines begin to appear. But, although at that time such masters as N.P. Lamanova, L.S. Popova, V.E. Tatlin made attempts to create new clothes that corresponded to the spirit of the time, and in particular overalls, their experiments were only sketchy.
The development of women's costume, the change in style 1900-1920.
HISTORY of fashion at the beginning of the 20th century.
Fashion in 1900-1907 completely different from the fashion of the subsequent fifty years and is, as it were, a continuation of the forms of the late 19th century.This period is characterized primarily by an unprecedented splendor of decor, an abundance of costume jewelry, furs, feathers, magnificent, luxurious fabrics, a love of pretentiousness and a desire to emphasize the richness and variety of clothing.
Fashion magazine "The Delineator", 1900-1903
In an effort to create the perfect outfit, the artists turned to the decoration of expensive stones and elements that emphasize the richness of the costume - appliqués, fur trim.
Becoming popular in the second half of the 19th century, the Art Nouveau style influenced many areas of life, including clothing preferences. Flexible lines, lace, a large number of jewelry and large headdresses - all these features inherent in the outfits of the beginning of the century owe their popularity to Art Nouveau.
First years of the 20th century
were a time of inevitable change that marked the beginning of today's fashion industry.The period between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the First World War in France is commonly referred to as the Belle Epoque (“Belle Epoque”).
The decadence of the Art Nouveau era that dominated art dictated its own special, somewhat perverted aesthetics, turning a woman into an unearthly creature. The atmosphere of the transitional period seemed to breathe new life into women's fashion.
The artificial silhouette, so characteristic of the 19th century (it was shaped by structural underwear), gave way to new forms of the 20th century, which followed the curves of the female body, trying to emphasize its uniqueness.
Marcel Proust in his "Memories of Lost Time" correctly noted that it was at the beginning of the 20th century that the structure of women's dress completely changed.
Until the First World War, the woman remained mysterious and female nudity was out of fashion.
The waist line was located in a natural place and only in front was somewhat underestimated.
A veil tied under the chin hung from a large hat, which was one piece with a foamy frill that reached the waist, which created the impression of a magnificent bust.
At the second stage, which lasted somewhat longer, from 1901 to 1905, the shoulders became of normal width, the expanded part of the sleeve moved to the bottom and formed puffs when the arms were bent.
One of the innovations characteristic of this period was the appearance of the S-shaped silhouette, which is notable for the fact that it emphasized the waist by forming a voluminous protruding bust and a puffy back of the dress,at the same time, the bulge of the abdomen was destroyedThe lingerie companies offered ladies several options for corsets to help them achieve the dainty, slim waist that fashion demanded (up to 37 cm in extreme cases!)
Changes in the shape and size of women's corsets for 16 years, the end of the 19th - the beginning of the 20th centuries.
The fashion of 1900-1907 borrowed many forms from past eras. Louis XIII's costumes were reflected in wide collars, short boleros and gathered front blouses.The Louis XIV period manifested itself in moderate jackets called Louis XIII vestons, which at that time began to rival the petite boleros.
Home dresses had empire features and pleats a la Watteau.
The women's fashion of the end of the Belle Epoque (1908-1914) differed from the previous period in a new high-waisted silhouette with a straight skirt.Jeanne Paquin in 1905 created a collection that featured high-waisted dresses, which was a serious departure from tradition.
In 1906, her Japanese-style collection appears.
The third stage, shorter, lasted from 1905 to 1907.sleeves of the same form as in 1900, with extended puffed shoulders; subsequently they began to acquire the most fantastic forms. The waist was still tightened as tight as possible, the bulge of the hips became more moderate.
The skirt was shortened and opened up the toe of the boot, and the hem of the skirt became less embellished. In addition, the vertical position gradually returned to the silhouette.
In 1906, during the Edwardian era, fashion absorbed the tastes of the English aristocracy of those years, acquiring a more straightened neoclassical silhouette.
It was more respectable in relation to the French Art Nouveau and its black and white and striped colors emphasized elongation and geometricity.
In the pre-war years, clothing blossomed with new colors, which was greatly facilitated by the exhibition accepted by the French public, which impressed not only the ballet, but also the amazing scenery and costumes of the dancers, on which the artists Leon Bakst, Alexander Benois and Nicholas Roerich worked.
Paul Poiret, as the main fashion designer of the decade, was the first to respond to the new public fad.
The development of fashion in the 1910s of the XX century was largely determined by global events, the main of which was the First World War of 1914-1918. The changed living conditions and worries that ended up on women's shoulders demanded, first of all, convenience and comfort in clothes. The financial crisis associated with the war also did not contribute to the popularity of luxurious dresses made from expensive fabrics. However, as is often the case, difficult times created an even greater demand for beautiful clothes: women, not wanting to put up with circumstances, showed miracles of ingenuity in search of fabrics and new styles. As a result, the second decade of the 20th century was remembered for models that combined elegance and convenience, and the appearance of the legendary star Coco Chanel in the fashion sky.
At the beginning of the second decade of the twentieth century, Paul Poiret remained the main dictator in the fashion world. In 1911, women's trousers and culottes made a splash. The fashion designer continued to popularize his work through social events and various trips. Poiret noted the creation of the Thousand and One Nights collection with a luxurious reception, and later in the same 1911 he opened his own school of arts and crafts, Ecole Martin. Also, the fashion revolutionary continued to publish books and catalogs with his products. Then Poiret went on a world tour, which lasted until 1913. During this time, the artist has shown his models in London, Vienna, Brussels, Berlin, Moscow, St. Petersburg and New York. All his shows and trips were accompanied by articles and photographs in newspapers, so that the news about the French couturier spread all over the world.
Poiret was not afraid of experiments and became the first fashion designer to create his own fragrance - Rosina perfume, named after his eldest daughter. In 1914, with the outbreak of the First World War, the House of Paul Poiret ceased its activities, and the artist made an attempt to return to the world of fashion only in 1921.
This, however, turned out to be a failure, largely due to the fact that the luxurious and exotic style of Poiret was supplanted by the revolutionary models of Coco Chanel.
Emancipation and the first practical models
The first step in the transition to "comfortable" fashion was the final disappearance of corsets, voluminous hats, and "limping" skirts from women's wardrobes. In the early 1910s, new models came into use, the main among them was the "yule skirt" with a high waist, wide hips, drapery and narrow at the ankles. As for the length, until 1915 the hem of the dresses reached the ground. Skirts, on the other hand, were shortened a little: models came into fashion that reached “only” up to the leg lift. Dresses were often worn with capes, and dresses with a train were also popular. A V-shaped neckline was common, not only on the chest, but also on the back.
The craving for practicality touched not only clothing, but the entire female image. In the second decade of the twentieth century, ladies for the first time stopped doing intricate elegant hairstyles and opened their necks. Short haircuts have not yet become as common as they were in the 1920s, but the fashion for long, beautifully styled hair on the head has become a thing of the past.
At that time, operetta was extremely popular throughout Europe, and the dancers who performed on stage became an example to follow, including in terms of clothing. Along with the operetta, the audience enjoyed the cabaret, and especially the tango dance. Especially for the tango, a stage costume was invented - Turkish harem pants, as well as draped skirts, in the cuts of which the dancers' legs were visible. Such outfits were used only on stage, but in 1911, the Parisian fashion house "Drecol and Beschof" offered the ladies the so-called trouser dresses and a skirt-trousers. The conservative part of French society did not accept the new outfits, and those girls who dared to appear in them in public were accused of denying generally accepted moral standards. Women's trousers, which first appeared in the early 1910s, were negatively received by the public and became popular only much later.
In 1913, emancipant women began to protest in Europe against movement-restricting clothing, insisting on the appearance of simple cut and comfortable models. At the same time, there was still a slight but tangible influence of sports on everyday fashion. Abundant stripes and decorations, intricate appliqués and details that adorned clothes began to disappear. Women allowed themselves to bare their arms and legs. In general, the cut of clothes has become much more free, shirts and dress shirts have come into fashion.
All these trends were characteristic of casual wear, while dressy models were still kept in the style of the 1910s. High-waisted dresses with elements of oriental style, models with a narrow bodice and wide skirt with frills were still popular in the world. A pannier skirt came into fashion, the name of which is translated from French as "basket". The model was distinguished by a barrel-shaped silhouette - the hips were wide, but the front and back of the skirt was flat. In short, the outfits for going out were more elegant and conservative, and some fashion designers sought to keep the trends observed in the fashion of the 1900s. Erte became the most notable among the artists who adhered to conservative models.
Loud debut of the great Erte
The most popular fashion designer Erte, whose name is associated with luxurious and feminine images of the second decade of the twentieth century, did not recognize the trend towards practicality and functionality.
Roman Petrovich Tyrtov was born in 1892 in St. Petersburg, and at the age of twenty he moved to Paris. Erte took the pseudonym from the initial letters of the name and surname. Even as a child, the boy showed a penchant for drawing and design. From the age of 14, he attended classes at the Academy of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, and after moving to the French capital, he went to work at the Paul Poiret House. His high-profile debut in Paris was the creation of costumes for the play "The Minaret" in 1913. The very next year, when Erte left the House of Poiret, his models were very popular not only in France, but also in the theater troupes of Monte Carlo, New York, Chicago and Glyndbourne. Music halls flooded the talented fashion designer with orders, and Erte created costumes for productions such as Irwin Berlin's Music Box Repertoire, George White's Scandals and Mary of Manhattan. Each image created by the couturier was his own creation: in his work, Erte never relied on the experience of his colleagues and predecessors.
The most recognizable image created by the fashion designer was the mysterious beauty, wrapped in luxurious furs, with many accessories, the main of which were long strands of pearls and beads, topped with an original headdress. Erte created his outfits, inspired by ancient Egyptian and Greek mythology, as well as Indian miniatures and, of course, Russian classical art. Denying a non-fitted silhouette and abstract geometric patterns, in 1916 Erte became the chief artist of the Harpers Bazaar magazine, a contract with which he was offered by a magnate.
Popular even before the outbreak of the First World War, Erte was one of the trendsetters until his death in 1990 at the age of 97.
War and fashion
The dispute between adherents of the old style and supporters of practical clothing was decided by the First World War that began in 1914. Women, forced to do all the male work, simply could not afford to dress up in long puffy skirts and corsets.
During this period, functional details began to appear in clothes, referring to the military style - patch pockets, turn-down collars, jackets with lacing, lapels and metal buttons that girls wore with skirts. At the same time, women's suits came into fashion. The hard years brought with them another reform: comfortable knitwear was used in tailoring, from which jumpers, cardigans, scarves and hats were created. Casual dresses, the length of which became shorter and reached only to the calves, were worn with high, coarse lace-up boots, under which women wore leggings.
In general, this time can be described as a spontaneous search for new forms and styles, a passionate desire to get away from all the fashionable standards that were imposed by fashion houses in the 1900s. Trends literally replaced one another. Common to the wartime silhouettes was the freedom of cut, sometimes even the "saggy" clothes. Now the outfits did not emphasize all the curves of the female figure, but, on the contrary, hid it. Even the belts no longer fitted the waist, not to mention the sleeves, blouses and skirts.
The war, perhaps, made women much more independent than all the emancipant outbursts that characterized the early 1910s. First, women took over the work that men used to do: they took places in factories, hospitals and offices. In addition, many of them ended up in auxiliary military services, where working conditions dictated practicality as the main criterion when choosing clothes. The girls wore uniforms, khaki sports shirts and caps. Perhaps, for the first time, women felt their independence and significance, became confident in their strengths and intellectual abilities. All this allowed the ladies themselves to direct the development of fashion.
During the war, when almost all fashion houses were closed, women voluntarily got rid of all imposed canons, freeing clothes from unnecessary details. The practical and functional style took root and fell in love so much that the fashion houses that resumed their activities after the war were forced to follow new trends, and attempts to regain popularity of the previously relevant crinoline and uncomfortable "narrow" styles ended in failure.
Of particular note, however, appeared at the same time and became extremely popular "military crinolines". These fluffy skirts differed from their predecessors in that they used not the usual hoops, but a large number of petticoats to maintain their shape. It took a lot of fabric to sew such outfits and, despite the low quality, the price of "military crinolines" was quite high. This did not prevent the voluminous skirt from becoming one of the main hits of the war, and later this model became a symbol of the romantic style caused by general protest and war weariness. Unable to resist the mastered practical style, fashion designers decided to bring originality and beauty to simple-style outfits through details and finishes. Dresses "haute couture" were richly decorated with pearls, ribbons, appliqués and beads.
The impact of the First World War on fashion cannot be described only by the emerging trend towards practicality. Soldiers who participated in battles in foreign territories brought home as trophies, including new exotic fabrics, as well as hitherto unseen shawls, scarves and jewelry from Tunisia and Morocco. Fashion designers, getting acquainted with the cultures of different countries, absorbed ideas and embodied new styles, patterns and finishes in tailoring.
After the end of the war, when secular life improved, and balls began to be given again in Paris, many women abandoned the costumes that had become familiar and returned to pre-war fashion. However, this period did not last long - after the war, a completely new stage in fashion began, which at that time was most influenced by Coco Chanel.
Men's style from Chanel
Coco Chanel, by her own admission, tried all her life to adapt a men's suit to the needs and lifestyle of a modern woman.
Coco Chanel began her journey in the fashion world in 1909 when she opened her own hat shop in Paris. The rumor about the new designer quickly spread throughout the French capital, and the very next year, Coco was able to launch not only hats, but also clothes, opening a store at 21 Rue Cambon, and then her own Fashion House in the Biarritz resort. Despite the high cost of clothing and the simplicity of the cut, which was unusual for that time, Chanel's models were rapidly gaining popularity, and the designer had a wide clientele.
The main task of the clothes that fashion designers previously offered to women was to emphasize the wasp waist and highlight the chest, creating unnatural curves. Coco Chanel was thin, tanned and athletic, and the style common at that time did not suit her perfectly - with all the desire, no clothes could make an "hourglass" out of a girl's figure. But she was the perfect model for her own outfits. “Cuffed in a corset, chest out, butt exposed, so tight at the waist, as if cut into two parts ... to contain such a woman is the same as managing real estate,” said Koko.
Promoting convenience and unisex style, the fashion designer created very simple dresses and skirts, distinguished by clear lines and the absence of jewelry. The girl, without hesitation, swept aside unnecessary details and unnecessary accessories in search of the perfect model that does not restrict movement, and at the same time allows a woman to remain a woman. Regardless of public opinion, she deftly introduced elements of masculine style into women's clothing, independently setting an example of the correct use of simple outfits. "Once I put on a men's sweater, just like that, because I felt cold ... I tied it with a scarf (at the waist). That day I was with the British. None of them noticed that I was wearing a sweater ..." Chanel recalled. That is how her famous plunging-neck sailor suits with turn-down collars and "jockey" leather jackets appeared.
When creating clothes, Chanel used simple materials - cotton, knitwear. In 1914, she shortened the women's skirt. At the start of World War I, Coco designed practical sweaters, blazers, shirt dresses, blouses, and suits. It was Chanel who contributed to the popularization of pajamas, and in 1918 even created women's pajamas, in which you could go down to the bomb shelter.
Closer to 1920, Coco, like many artists of that time, became interested in Russian motifs. This line in the work of Chanel was developed already at the beginning of the third decade of the twentieth century.
The second decade of the twentieth century, despite all the hardships and hardships, became a turning point in the evolution of fashion - it was in the 1910s that artists began to actively search for new forms that could give women freedom without depriving them of grace. The reforms brought into fashion by the war and the trends of the post-war years became decisive in the development of the industry in the following decades.
As if in a time machine, we continue to return to the most significant decades in the history of fashion of the 20th century - and the next in line are the years 1910-1919. In that era, European fashion succumbed to colossal influence from outside: this was the widespread popularization of sports, and the expansion of oriental, and then national Russian styles (together with Diaghilev's Russian Seasons), and, of course, the First World War, which divided the decade into two periods and made people take a fresh look at fashion and the entire clothing business in general.
1910–1913: sporty style and new colors
The main discovery for the history of fashion in the pre-war era was a new color scheme. In 1905, at an exhibition in Paris, bright multi-colored paintings of the Fauves (Matisse, Derain and others) are shown; in 1911, Sergei Diaghilev, as part of the Russian Seasons ballet tour, staged the ballets Scheherazade and Cleopatra in London with colorful costumes by Leon Bakst, made in oriental style. Orientalism, with its lively colors and rich decor, becomes a new fashion trend of the early 1910s and brings bright colors of spices and outlandish plants to the catwalks instead of pastel shades. The well-known French couturier Paul Poiret was also considered a trendsetter for Orientalism. He became an innovator of this era: Poiret freed women from corsets, highlighting a new silhouette with straight vertical lines and a high waist. He also simplified the cut of the dress, making the silhouette soft and natural, and added bright color and ethnic style decor.
At the same time, the first years of the new decade draw inspiration from the 1900s, which are not far from the history of fashion. For the ladies of the beau monde, the daily routine still includes four changes a day - in the morning, at noon, for tea and for dinner in the evening. Girls prepare for marriage, which is obligatory in this era, by collecting a dowry in advance. It included at least twelve evening dresses, two or three evening capes, four street dresses, two coats, twelve hats, ten tea-dresses, and dozens of pairs of shoes and stockings.
In 1913, sportswear was added to the already extensive wardrobe of the lady. Passion for sports spreads across Europe from England, where horse riding and cycling are extremely popular. Ladies are starting to play golf, croquet and tennis, ride skates, horses and open cars instead of horse carts - all these active activities required getting rid of the corset with metal bars and abandoning too puffy dresses with long skirts in favor of light dresses with a straight, slightly fitted silhouette and ankle-length skirt.
Ladies are allowed to take off the corset during the traditional five o’clock in England: “tea” dresses had a lace shirt-front with a high collar, puffed puff sleeves and a long skirt with a floral pattern that fell freely from the chest and today would remind us of our grandmothers’ nightgowns. But the evening dress code was still strict: ladies competed in the luxury of their hats, and silk dresses sparkled with expensive trimmings of lace, embroidery or fur...
1914–1919: military of the new time
In August 1914, Germany declares war on France. General mobilization begins in the country, and haute couture fades into the background: all light industry is thrown to the needs of the front. Evening dresses practically disappear from seasonal collections (only the United States remains their main customer during the war), and ladies no longer need to change clothes four times a day, as before. Dark colors that were previously used only for outerwear are coming into fashion: black, gray, navy blue and khaki.
Women's clothing from 1914 begins to be influenced by the military style: the silhouette of day dresses becomes minimalistic, the length of the skirts is shortened almost to the middle of the calf, and pockets appear on them. A work suit for a woman consists of the main must-have of this era - an elongated fitted jacket with large buttons - and a narrow long hobble skirt, which has become the "grandmother" of the modern pencil skirt. The English brands Burberry and Aquascutum are making a name for themselves during these years by introducing a military raincoat - a trench coat into the women's wardrobe.
With the change in the length of the skirt, the role of shoes becomes more and more important - in this era, leather shoes with an ankle strap and ankle boots with buttons or laces are in fashion, but always made of leather in two colors.
It was during the war years that Coco Chanel had his finest hour: having opened his first store in Deauville in 1913, Chanel was actively gaining clients. Her simple but elegant jersey suits, consisting of a white blouse with a V-collar, a loose jumper with a belt and a turn-down collar (Coco borrowed it from sailors) and a puffy mid-calf skirt, were incredibly popular and allowed Chanel as early as 1916 year to join the ranks of the couturier and demonstrate his first haute couture collection.
The war gives a tremendous impetus to the development of the ready-to-wear industry - companies that during the war worked for the needs of the front and produced military uniforms, already in peacetime, begin to switch to the production of prêt-a-porter clothes and shoes for everyday wear.
This period is characterized by a feverish search for new expressive means and forms. The fashion of that time reflected current political problems, the development of social movements, the struggle of women for equality. The Russo-Japanese War and the rise of colonialism brought exotic elements into fashion.
New images of the decade are built on the elements of pre-war fashion. Despite the economic crisis, rising inflation and an acute shortage of fabrics and accessories, they amaze with their luxury.
Social events of the period 1910-1920, which most influenced the development of fashion:
World War I 1914-1918
Silhouettes 1910-20:
Disappeared:
Corsets.
"Limping" skirts.
Complicated hairstyles.
Big hats.
Embroidery, applique, lace.
Skirts have been shortened.
Appeared:
Functional details of military clothing: high “aviator stands”, patch pockets, turn-down collars (like jackets).
Suit: Wide skirt with front closure + baggy jacket with patch pockets and turn-down or aviator stand collar.
Puffy skirt + jacket in military style - with an abundance of lacing, high shaped collars, strict lapels, metal buttons.
Handmade knitwear-jackets, cardigans, jumpers, scarves, hats.
Casual dresses reached only to the calves and are worn with high lace-up boots.
Peplums (an addition similar to a small skirt, previously sewn to a men's doublet or vest, later to a women's bodice, somewhat lengthening clothes below the waist line). Another name: bass.
Barrel silhouette.
Gaiters, felt hats, scarves.
Short hair for women.
In everyday high fashion, the influence of military uniforms was felt. In elegant models, elements of pre-war fashion were preserved:
Turbans with aigrettes of feathers.
Dresses in oriental style with a high waistline (their skirts have become wider and shorter).
"Military crinolines" - wide bell-shaped skirts, the tailoring of which took a lot of fabric. Instead of traditional crinoline hoops, numerous petticoats were used here. The price of such a product was quite high despite the low quality of the material and finish. "Military crinolines" - a manifestation of the romantic style, as a result of war fatigue.
Pannier skirt - wide at the hips, flat in front and behind (Panier-basket in French).
Spanish style (Spain was not at war and everything Spanish was associated with peaceful life): high crests and mantillas, tango shoes with webbing and laces, Spanish flamenco dresses.
Dresses in the style of those worn in the era of King Louis XV: a very narrow bodice and a wide skirt with frills on the sides, emphasizing the line of the hips.
In 1909, Chanel began her activity in the fashion world, offering women:
Sports jersey dresses.
Sweaters.
Blazers.
Pleated calf length skirts.
Shirt dresses.
English cotton blouses
Knitted suits.
Pajamas that you can wear to the bomb shelter.
This was the time of the cult of the operetta, which was not only fun entertainment, but also introduced new types of clothing. In addition to the operetta and always fashionable drama theaters, revues and cabarets with famous actresses, such as Mistenget in Paris or Lucina Messal in Poland, played a similar role. They introduced not only the Argentine tango dance, but also - along with it - the skirt-pants.
It is also worth mentioning the role of ballet in shaping fashion and new approaches to clothing design. The trap of the past and classical ballet, which turned choreography into graphic signs, into the so-called letter of dance, which in the 19th century inspired many artists (Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec, etc.), faded into the background in the 20th century.
New theories proclaimed that the value lies not in skillful construction, but in the natural, expressive movements of the body. The embodiment of this new idea was the work of Isadora Duncan, who had a considerable influence on the fashion of her time.
The desire for reform and simplification in dress was most clearly manifested in ballet, which surprisingly influenced public taste.
A revolution in fashion was caused by the tour of Diaghilev's Russian ballet in Paris with the famous dancer Nijinsky and the ballerina Karsavina. The costumes for the ballet, made according to the sketches of Bakst, were distinguished by great originality, as well as the scenery of the ballets.
These performances marked the beginning of theatrical reform and the end of naturalistic dramatizations. The music of Debussy, Ravel, Prokofiev and Stravinsky, the fantastic costumes and the new dramatizations of Scheherazade, The Rose Fairy, Petrushka, Tamara and others were excellent lessons enjoyed in the salons until the First World War.
The costume experts Bizet and Radius wrote that 1909, in which the named ballets appeared on the stage, became a significant date in the history of fashion. This year brought with it an explosion of enthusiasm in the creation of richly embroidered fabrics and the use of transparent, smoky, like mist, muslins.
Along with this, the banner of oriental luxury, the wealth of the palaces of the sultans and the gardens of the caliphs, was raised. Already in 1910, their influence on fashion was noticeable. Exotic elements appeared not only in the very composition of clothes, but also in the whole art of decor.
Later, in the 1920s, a love for decorative fabrics arose, which was a definite echo of this influence.
Costume designed by L. Bakst for the ballet "Daphnis and Chloe" staged by Diaghilev, 1912 Parisian dress model inspired by the costumes designed by L. Bakst
New theories proclaimed that the value lies not in skillful construction, but in the natural, expressive movements of the body.
The embodiment of this new idea was the dance of the barefoot dancer Isadora Duncan, an American by birth, who arrived in Europe in 1900 at the age of 22 and revolutionized both the art of choreography and theatrical costume (which used to consist of tutu, i.e. e. pantaloons and gas skirts worn over them, the number of which sometimes reached twenty).
She first danced barefoot, barely wearing a sheer shirt and shawl. Plastic techniques were scooped up in classical sculptures, in images on ancient Greek and Etruscan amphoras, in reliefs on the pediments of temples. Isadora Duncan embodied her concept, gleaned from the ritual dances of the Vestal Virgins, in living plasticity and rhythm.
Her dance was sculpture, melody and movement, accentuated by the evolution of the sheer shawl. This dance became the basis of the theory of rhythmic dances.
Already the initial masterpieces were rewarded with loud fame. Touring all over Europe since 1900, at the beginning of her artistic activity exclusively in private houses and palaces, and later on the stages of theaters, Isadora Duncan instilled a love for ancient simplicity by performing classical dances in antique attire and charming personality.
Her dance influenced the fact that the first costumes of the new, strict line, introduced by Paul Poiret, had a stylized antique character. The desire for reform and simplification in dress was most clearly manifested in ballet, which surprisingly influenced public taste.
The flowering of exotic elements in fashion was facilitated by the acquaintance of Europeans with the folk art of colonial countries, the countries of the Middle and Far East, which led to a new approach to ornamenting fabrics and the appearance of various shawls, foulard scarves, scarves, etc.
Exoticism was also reflected in the dances of that time. The Brazilian maxime and the Negro cake-walk laid the foundation for a number of new dances, which include, ultimately, the tango. Characteristic of the music of these dances was the chanting of rhythm.
Argentine tango, which became fashionable in Europe at the time, was born out of an exotic dance largely owing its form to the Spaniards.
In the process of its development, tango has undergone many changes, then it finally received a form familiar to us, so different from the original.
In the years in question, the tango caused a huge protest in the conservative part of European society, just as in the 18th and 19th centuries. such a protest was caused by the waltz, which was considered a shameless dance, in the 20s of the 20th century - Charleston, and later - rock and roll.
Tango was at first only a stage dance, and old clothes were not suitable for its performance. For this dance, a special costume was invented in the form of Turkish-type trousers or draped skirts, in the section of which the legs were visible.
The couture house of Drecol and Beschof in Paris in 1911 demonstrated various models of trouser dresses, for example, the so-called jupe-culotte (pants skirt), which, however, did not take root everywhere. Only dancers performed in them, as a result of which the new tango dance was called the "trouser dance".
A small number of women who dared to show themselves in these dresses on the street were ridiculed, and therefore such a costume quickly disappeared.
In accordance with the general fashion line, they also tried to wear just trousers, but they did not take root either, because they ran counter to the accepted norms of public morality.
In 1908-1914. the ideal was a woman with white matte skin, with brown hair, who took part in seances of spiritualism and shone like an angel. The previously fresh, infantile blush had to disappear, and women from a young age tried to give the impression of seasoned and knowledgeable.
A statue-pale and melancholy woman, dressed in transparent gauze and muslin, surrounded herself in the interior with light, pastel, close-tone colors, where everything shone from gilding, mirrors and sunlight. She wanted to be loved and was waiting for an oath of allegiance.
In 1913, noisy performances by emancipants began in England, seeking to direct the lives of women in a different direction. But most women only wanted to have fun and be loved.
Sport has not yet occupied a significant place in the lives of women, but nevertheless, it was during this period that the influence of sport on fashion began to manifest itself quite strongly, in connection with which a turn towards freedom and simplicity was indicated.
There were no longer so many folds and stripes from braids, a lot of previously used decorations. Hairstyles became smoother and lower, the neck, arms and legs were exposed.
Linen began to undergo huge changes: petticoats, bodices, shirts, pantaloons and covers.
The tren disappeared, the boots became lighter and were replaced by different shoes. Women, exhausted by the captivity of corsets, willingly got rid of the terrible pressure in the belt. There was a wide variety of forms of clothing.
This and the subsequent period, which lasted until 1923, is characterized by a frequent change in fashion trends, caused by the search for new means of expression and convenience.
The new forms not only did not emphasize the anatomical structure, as it was in 1901-1907, but also tried, albeit timidly, to obscure it.
Between 1908 and 1914, there are (theoretically) several stages in which fashion was influenced by different styles.
The influence of Greek costumes can be traced around 1909, the Empire style around 1911, Oriental clothes around 1913.
Dresses based on Greek clothing:
1 - French model, project by Poiret, 1903;
2 - Polish model, 1911; 3 - English model, 1910
Clothing based on oriental motives:
1 - dress and headdress, project by Poiret, 1911;
2 - dress in the style of "narrow fashion", Paris, 1914;
3 - dress with a skirt pulled up at the hips, Poland, 1914
Dresses based on the Empire style:
1 - Polish model; 2 - French model;
3 - English model.
1911-1914 brought samples of the return of "narrow fashion". During the described period, there were predominantly pseudo-style solutions, and fashion became more and more uncertain.
Fashion 1911-1914 characterized by the softness of the lines, emphasizing the natural bulge of the silhouette and at the same time giving it a feminine character, but not as pronounced as before.
Soft, flowing light fabrics fell freely, giving the clothes a specific character, which at that time was defined as mode lingerie.
This period includes the rejection of hard chemisettes that fit the neck, a decollete is introduced that exposes the shoulders (the so-called "naked fashion." Silk linings, which strengthened even very thin fabrics in the previous period, cease to be used.
There has been moderation in the main lines. The former "bell" shape and "curved" lines gave way to strict lines, and the silhouette began to be called "cue".
The waist rose high, as in the fashion of the First Empire, and the heralds of this turn were very wide belts of silk fabric; they were called "bayaderas".
Gone are the large sleeves; the sleeve became narrow, smoothly sewn below the shoulder, or kimono. Asymmetry was one of the foundations of the overall composition, which found expression in asymmetrical draperies, flaps, wedges, fantasy hems of tunics, linings, etc.
The influence of oriental clothing was manifested in padding that widened the dress below the hips, and in the use of expensive fabrics, colored, transparent, with fabulous ornamentation.
Parisian name - Leon Bakst. In 1910, Paris saw the ballet "Scheherazade" in the program "Russian Seasons" organized by Sergei Diaghilev. The ballet was staged by the famous Mikhail Fokin, and the scenery and costumes were made according to the sketches of Lev Bakst. He creates his own, special, Bakst style. Paris has forgotten that Bakst is a foreigner, that he has his roots in Russia. The name Leon Bakst began to sound like the most Parisian of all Parisian names. His productions began to be imitated, his ideas varied ad infinitum. The artist in Diaghilev's ballets was a full partner of the director and choreographer. So, Bakst worked closely with the famous Fokine, and then with the no less famous Nijinsky, when staging Stravinsky's ballets. His principles of pictorial design were unconditionally accepted by critics. Bakst designs performances not only in Paris, but also in London and Rome.
The legislators of Parisian fashion began to promote the "Bakst style". He was approached with orders for sketches of costumes. This greatly captivated the artist, and he creates a series of magnificent costumes, as well as fabric designs. "... Bakst managed to capture that elusive nerve of Paris that rules fashion, and his influence is now felt everywhere in Paris - both in ladies' dresses and at art exhibitions," M. Voloshin wrote in 1911.
Paul Poiret began working for Doucet and Worth, and in 1903 opened his own fashion house.
Poiret created a powerful fashion empire. Nowadays, fashion houses produce different products under the same brand, but then it was very different from the generally accepted norms.
The silhouette he created freed women from the corset: a flowing skirt that did not reach the floor, an overestimated waistline. It went against the rules of decency. But only two years passed and this innovation was adopted. In 1909, Sergei Diaghilev "brings" Russian art to Europe, including ballet. Thanks to the first season of the Russian Ballet in Paris, France discovered the beauty of the East. The ballet "Cleopatra" was dominated by a riot of colors: a combination of purple and emerald, pink, yellow and black. This cultural event influenced the work of Paul Poiret: he included oriental motifs in his collections and began to create clothes in new colors on a new silhouette - harem pants, turbans, bright colors and ornaments: pink, gold, canary yellow, poisonous green, azure blue. Never before has clothing been so colorful. It was more than exotic. Paul Poiret conquered the public.
Paul Poiret invented the lampshade tunic, a tunic-like garment about knee-length. Another of his inventions - "lame" skirt - it narrowed below the knee. It was possible to walk in it only in small steps, which is why it got its name.
Poiret successfully renewed the fashion for a combination of harem pants and skirts, harem pants and tunics.
The inspiration and muse of Paul Poiret was his wife Denise.
Paul Poiret worked with two of the best illustrators - Paul Iribe and Georges Lepap, who embodied Poiret's models in illustrations.
In 1911, Paul Poiret released the first designer perfume "Rosina" (named after his eldest daughter). Everything from start to finish: the creation of the fragrance, the design of the bottle, the packaging, the advertising, the distribution, was thought up and carried out by the fashion designer himself. This meant the invasion of a new market, which at that time was the monopoly of French perfumers. Paul Poiret, together with Raoul Dufy, are actively working on the creation of fabrics. Paul Poiret once said: "Couturier, like fabric, speaks many languages with one goal - to sing female beauty." Paul Poiret was a passionate admirer of modern art and was in close contact with such geniuses of the 20th century as the artists Henry Matisse and Pablo Picasso, the poet Jean Cocteau. Paul Poiret was a patron of the arts. In 1911, he opened the studio "Martina" in Paris (named after his youngest daughter). There, girls from poor families were taught not only to sew, embroider, but also the history of art, drawing.
Paul Poiret became a legend during his lifetime. Understanding the relationship between fashion and advertising, organizing holidays and performances. He was more than just a couturier. Poiret became the founder of the modern concept of "fashion as a lifestyle". He practically invented and used marketing and PR (Public relation) strategies, which have now become common practice and the norm. His houses, salons, holidays that he organized became an amazing performance and spectacle, where his works - dresses played a major role. One example: to advertise his fashion house, he hired fashion models, dressed them in his outfits and drove them around Europe and Russia. All this was accompanied by high-profile articles in the press and photo reports.
Art Deco style. ERTE (ERTE real name and surname TYRTOV Roman Petrovich 1892 - 1990) is a Russian artist, a representative of Art Nouveau, a coryphaeus of graphic design and a famous fashion designer. Abandoning a career traditional for the family, he settled in Paris in 1912, becoming a correspondent for the St. Petersburg magazine Ladies' Fashion. He did not receive a systematic art education, he briefly attended R. Julien's academy. Compiled the pseudonym "Erte" from the first letters of the name and surname. Lived in Paris and Monte Carlo.
Art Deco style - short for the name of the exhibition "L" Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et lndu-striels Modernes" - "International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts", held in 1925 in Paris) - Artistic style of interior design, decorative and applied products art, jewelry, fashion design, and industrial product design and applied graphics.
Coco Chanel - with the help of Capel in 1910, Coco opened her first boutique in Paris - the famous salon on Rue Cambon, and three years later - the first branch in Deauville. Soon she had a real Model House in the fashionable resort of Biarritz. What was the secret of such success? Before Chanel, women were buried under miles of fabric and lace: tight waddle skirts, huge bustles, dust-sweeping trains, and giant hats that looked more like cakes. Chanel herself did not fit dresses that emphasized a wasp waist and a magnificent bust - she had nothing to emphasize. In addition, such toilets fettered movement. She offered women completely new, never-before-seen outfits, often borrowed from the men's wardrobe. For example, a sailor suit with a deep neckline and a wide turn-down collar or a leather jacket in the style of a jockey. She was always inspired by what she personally liked and was comfortable. It was a real revolution. Chanel created fashion anew, regardless of what is accepted and what is not.
"Men's" women's clothing - late 1910s
“Once I put on a men's sweater, just like that, because I got cold ... I tied it with a scarf (at the waist). That day I was with the British. None of them noticed that I was wearing a sweater ... "So a new women's fashion appeared - flannel blazers, loose-fitting skirts, long jersey sweaters, sailor suits and the famous suit (skirt + jacket).
“Sheathed in a corset, her breasts out, her ass exposed, so tight at the waist, as if cut into two parts ... maintaining such a woman is the same as managing real estate,” Chanel knew what she was talking about. Working, independent, active women simply could not walk in corsets and flounces.
Rules for the little black dress from Chanel:
- the dress must cover the knees
- the dress should not have any decorated details: frills, embroidery, lace
- be sure to have a clear emphasis on the cut at the waist
- shoes - closed boats (not sandals!)
- no big decorations
- small handbag
1914 - World War I
Describing the fashion of 1915-1923, we can safely say that it was a continuation of the search for new means of expression, necessary with such rapidly changing forms. The main feature of the fashion of these years was a kind of freedom (“droopiness”) and fantasy. Loose blouses hung loosely on their shoulders, their peplums and wide belts did not fit the figure. Sleeves hung short and wide, sometimes of fantastic shape, elongated in front, reminiscent of Gothic. Frilled skirts and aprons attached to them, trains, shawls, scarves, etc. hung down.
Spaciousness in clothing, which in 1922 reached its highest point, masked the natural outline of the figure. A woman of that time "hung on herself" a dress. This effect was enhanced by the use of soft tissues, whose plastic properties led to the creation of soft, vague forms. All this was a complex resistance to the rigid and refined forms of clothing of the early 20th century.
This period brought important achievements to the woman in the struggle for equality and, in connection with this, new achievements in the field of clothing reform. The reason for this was the First World War, which played a much more significant role in the struggle for equal rights for women than all the previous efforts of the emancipants. Left alone, women were forced to bear full responsibility for themselves and their families; they took the place of men in industry, in offices, hospitals, etc., felt confident in their physical strength and intellectual value.
During the First World War, women began to lead a masculine lifestyle, became conductors in trams, freight forwarders, and some even got into auxiliary military services and put on appropriate uniforms. For example, nurses and American field mail workers wore khaki sports shirts and caps. With the beginning of the war, fashion houses were closed, and women themselves more or less skillfully directed the movement of fashion, freeing themselves from many absurd fantasies that were imposed on them as fashion canons. Unnecessary decorations were discarded, and clothing was designed in such a way as to provide the necessary comfort at work. Casual dress in the reform style gained popularity and took root so firmly that tailors, returning to their work in 1917 and wanting to again have a dominant role in the establishment of fashion, had to adopt these clothes, and attempts to reintroduce the crinoline or "narrow fashion" failed. defeat. Trains, tight corsets and excessive jewelry disappeared at the same time.
The army, not only European but also colonial, also had a great influence on fashion. She brought the atmosphere of distant lands and the exoticism of beautiful native art. There were patterned decorative fabrics from Morocco and Tunisia, beautiful shawls, scarves and other exotic items that enchanted Europe. Fashion immediately absorbed new elements of cut and decoration of Chinese, Arabic and Indian costumes.
It may seem paradoxical that, along with the appearance of simple, practical, rational clothes, the love for an abundance of patterns, lace, appliqués, knitting, beads, etc. increased again. This was due to the activities of Parisian tailors, who, not wanting to completely lose their influence, protested against a simple cut and began to introduce fantastic additions to simple, shaped dresses. From a magazine article of that time: "...dresses of a simple cut and without decorations caused displeasure among the ladies. They tried to influence the artists who create models in order to introduce decorations, even in excessive quantities. For a long time they have not seen dresses so embroidered, embroidered with pearls, hemstitches, trimmed with gathered ribbons, cloth appliqués, embroidered with thick wire and a huge number of thin ribbons that formed complex patterns on the bottom and on the sleeves of woolen dresses and even covered entire planes ... ". A few years after the start of the war, despite the ongoing struggle at the front, life in the rear returned to normal; balls and receptions began to be given again.
Revue theatres, adopting new forms of dress faster and bolder than anyone else, have become at the forefront of fashion. In the review, there were great disagreements in the views on the need for a fantastic frame for plasticity, designed by the most famous decorators and tailors, who were influenced by Russian ballet and decided everything on the contrast of black and saturated colors. In 1921, Poiret designed the scenography and costumes for the revue "Casino de Paris", using mostly black and yellow. This fact led to the general penetration of black into the toilets of women. In Paris, a special white-and-black ball was established, which caused violent protests from tailors. As a rule, the figurative costumes of the actors had an influence on the establishment of certain forms of clothing in life, but the attempt to revive the fashion of ostrich feathers, with which all revue costumes were filled, failed. But the fashion of the Spanish shawl took root thanks to the Argentine dancer Isabella Ruiz, who changed shawls in every dance.
Changes in fashion occurred gradually. During the war, suits were worn everywhere. In the forms of jackets, the influence of a military uniform was obvious, and wide skirts, pleated or flared, opened boots to the bootleg. The moderately narrow sleeve was fastened to the cuff, the waist, somewhat underestimated at first, returned to its place. The hats were medium. In 1917, costumes faded into the background, women took out their pre-war dresses and for a while returned to the fashion of the pre-war years. There were attempts to lengthen the dresses and even swaddle the legs, but this did not take root. The skirts, which became narrower and longer, were rounded at the hips and narrowed down. The silhouette resembled a spindle. The waist was marked high. Many assemblies were made in dresses and coats.
J. Lanvin offered shirt dresses to her clients.
In 1917-1918, a new silhouette appeared - a dress with two waist lines: high and low, on the hips.
In 1918 the dresses were shortened again and widened thanks to the ruffles that were sewn across the skirts. The expansion was also provided by soft loose belts and pleated peplums, as well as tunics that were shorter and wider than skirts (see fig.).
"Cute girl".
"Selfless Mother"
"Exotic Vamp".
Three completely different ideal images.
In 1900, the use of makeup was already widespread. However, it was applied so that the result looked as natural as possible. At this time, the pink powder of Helena Rubinstein came in very handy, since before the faces covered with white powder looked too artificial. At the same time, her American rival Elizabeth Arden opened her first salon, and soon the two queens of cosmetics began to compete for clients, releasing more and more new products. They recommended that women regularly visit beauty salons. We started with a deep cleansing of the skin with steam - just like today.
During the war, it became unacceptable to spend time and money on cosmetics. A little bit of lipstick on the lips, a drop of shiny Vaseline on the eyelids - that's all. Hair that had previously been curled into coquettish curls a la Mary Pickford began to be separated by a clear parting. The men at the front should have known that their women had given up all coquetry, were modest and cordial, like Lillian Diane Gish.
Photo: "Sweet Girl" Lillian Diana Gish fully corresponded to the tastes of that time. The silent film star, who never found her place in sound films, has been performing on stage since she was five years old.
Selling cosmetics to these selfless women was not easy. Therefore, most cosmetic products are declared beneficial to health.
Vaseline, with which they gave shine to the lips and eyelids, was considered an ointment; at the same time, most women did not realize, however, just as they do today, that the problem was the sale of goods. Since anything related to medicine should not look frivolous, women were more likely to resort to cosmetic surgery than to use cosmetics. An operation to smooth wrinkles by injecting paraffin under the skin has become common.
Photo: Theda Bara - an exotic beauty with an inviting look and a small mouth in the shape of a heart, was considered the embodiment of sins and represented on the screen the hidden fantasies of prim America in the images of Salome, Madame DuBarry and Cleopatra.
After the war, virtue was over - everyone wanted to look mysterious and fatal.
Photo: Gloria Swanson angel and devil rolled into one. The image of an exotic woman-vamp. Gloria Swenson (1899-1983) was called his ideal incarnation, who, on the one hand, behaved like a society lady, and on the other hand, appeared without hesitation in erotic outfits such as satin lingerie, silk kimono and luxurious furs. She played in scandalous and risky roles, the theme of which was treason, threesome love and the sexual liberation of a woman. And she did it all with great elegance.
Hair was cut like a boy, eyes were lined with an eyebrow pencil, lips were painted very brightly, and the exoticism of accessories knew no bounds, which Poiret called for in 1910 with his harem style.
From 1914 to 1918, women and men had only one ideal: the selfless nurse. This was especially true for the sisters from the Red Cross, whose uniforms were designed by couturier Redfern. Admiration for selfless service went so far that secular ladies immortalized themselves in the guise of nuns or sisters of mercy and sent these photographs to their husbands at the front.
Photo: Ida Rubinstein - sister of mercy in a hospital in Paris during the First World War.
Style: Art nouveau, Art Deco
Designers: Coco Chanel (beginning), Jeanne Paquin, Jeanne Lanvin, Léon Bakst, Jacques Doucet
Illustrators: George Barbier, George Lepape
Music: Tango, Waltz Boston, Ragtime, Jazz (beginning)
Art: Ballets Russes, Fauvism, Cubism, Dadoism, Futurism.